The South Eastern Applied Materials (SEAM) Research Centre has marked its 15th anniversary with the launch of Ireland’s largest Industrial CT and X-ray Imaging Solutions Centre and the opening of the Materials Sustainability Laboratory at South East Technological University (SETU).
The milestone celebrations took place on Friday, 21 February during SEAM’s Industry Day, which welcomed industry and academic delegates from across the country to SETU’s Cork Road Campus in Waterford.
The newly unveiled €2.2 million, high-power (450kV) CT scanner, funded under a Research Ireland Infrastructural Call Programme, strengthens SEAM’s analytical capabilities, particularly for large and dense samples such as EV batteries. This advancement enables SEAM to rebrand its CT division as the ‘Industrial CT & X-ray Imaging Centre of Ireland’.
In tandem, the €1.6 million Materials Sustainability Laboratory, funded through Enterprise Ireland’s Capital Infrastructural and Innovation Partnership Programme, will support companies to adopt sustainable manufacturing practices. The facility aims to help companies reduce waste, pollution, and CO2 emissions, aligning with Ireland’s sustainability and green transition goals as outlined in the Government’s ‘Project Ireland 2040’ strategy.
Minister James Lawless, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, officially unveiled the new facilities, stating, “Today is the culmination of several years of planning and execution and, also, the start of a new phase in SEAM’s journey, as its services and capabilities increase.
“Today, in many respects, is a call to action to industry and other partners to consider the impact that SEAM can have on your operations and the help that it can provide through these great new facilities."
Minister Mary Butler TD, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Mental Health, and Minister John Cummins TD, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, were among the invited guests.
Professor Veronica Campbell, President of SETU, in delivering the welcome address, remarked, “Today’s launch marks a key milestone for SETU and the SEAM Research Centre. The state-of-the-art Industrial CT and X-ray Imaging Centre and the Materials Sustainability Laboratory advances both cutting-edge imaging capabilities and sustainable innovation.
“For the past 15 years, SEAM has been at the forefront of applied research and industry collaboration. As Ireland’s top Technology Gateway Centre, SEAM provides advanced materials engineering solutions across multiple sectors.”
Dr Ramesh Raghavendra, SEAM Research Centre Director, expressed pride in SEAM’s growth and continued impact, stating, “Our ongoing commitment to create materials characterisation infrastructure of excellence at SETU has been further strengthened by today’s launch. The Industrial CT X-ray imaging centre’s comprehensive capabilities is expected to play a pivotal role in fostering innovation across industries ranging from manufacturing to material science. "
SEAM Research Centre is co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern, and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27.
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